Michael Kiwanuka: You’ve Got Nothing to Lose (Produced by Jack White)

Michael Kiwanuka Third Man Records Jack WhiteUK songwriter Michael Kiwanuka returns with the first new release since his 2011 breakout debut, Home Again. As with a number of our favorite discoveries over the years, Third Man Records have taken notice, this time with label head Jack White producing a new Blue Series single: original cut “You’ve Got Nothing to Lose” backed by a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Waitin’ Round to Die.”  Fans of Kiwanuka’s debut will find the soulful, Bill Withers vibe familiar, albeit dressed up here with a few Nashville-style flourishes from Lillie Mae Rische on fiddle, pianist Cory Yount, and Dominic Davis playing upright bass. He isn’t credited, but it sounds like White himself on the drums. Check out the tune’s video, directed by James Cathcart, above.